Final
by Aviantei
Summary: It's almost scary how much these people expect Art to save them. [Twelve Shots of Summer]


**Final**

By: Aviantei

A _Hamatora_ One Shot

[Twelve Shots of Summer 12/12]

* * *

He stands in the police lobby the familiar bubble of nervousness and nausea surrounding him. He tries to appear confident—he has every right to be here, he's earned it—but it still feels like everything will pop if it gets poked the tiniest bit.

"Oh? You must be the new kid."

Before him is an older man—hair twined with gray, winkles in his face, and one eye closed for some reason. He walks up the newcomer, a lazy smile on his face. Once he comes to a stop, his hand is offered forward.

"I'm Gasuke. From today on, I'm your superior in pretty much experience only."

Hesitant, a second hand is reached forward. They briefly clasp together in a shake.

"I'm Art. From Facultas Academy."

Even now, the words still taste bitter. The aftertaste lingers in his saliva, and Art tries to swallow it. Gasuke gives an appreciative nod of recognition.

"I heard about you," he says, and Art immediately tenses. "Haha, calm down, it's all good stuff. I'm sure you feel like you have better things to be doing, but why don't you let an old timer show you around for a little bit."

For an internal moment, Art simmers. And then, like always, he gives it a gentle blow, pushing off his boiling point. It doesn't matter what he's thinking now, or in the future. He needs to focus on his work, so that he can actually feel like he _does_ deserve to be here.

Gasuke puts a lazy hand in his pocket. He sticks a cigarette in his lips but doesn't light it. "They have high hopes for you, kid," he says, like Art needs to be told. "They think they'll do a lot of good for the station."

In a rare moment, Art lets himself say whatever he wants. "I don't care about that. The reputation could mean less to me. I just want to work."

And at that Gasuke's lips form a grin. His shut eye almost makes it look like he's winking.

"You're gonna save a lot of people, kid."

* * *

It's almost scary how much these people expect Art to save them.

Just a little bit of regeneration, and suddenly he's a god. They look up to him, expect him to bring them some sort of salvation. Even scarier is that he's actually trying to meet up with their expectations, like it'll change something.

Like the changes he's already caused are necessary.

And that's all fine and good, but there's blood on the floor, and he's looking up at him with blank eyes, and the gun that's smoking just so happens to be in Art's hand.

The tears that hit the ground are definitely his, because no one else here would bother to cry over a cop's death.

_Over Gasuke-san's—_

And their partnership comes to a definite end, with no chance of revival, and Art doesn't feel like he's going to save anyone that matters.

* * *

Ah, this is late. Like, a whole half a year late.

In any event, this was written for the Twelve Shots of Summer, which, well, was hosted over the summer. I had some life things hit me in the face the last two weeks, but this was going to be my entry for week twelve. In celebration of the conclusion of Shibuya Operation - Story Storm, I figured I'd finish this up as a sort of tribute.

In any event, I was devastated when Gasuke died. I seriously ship him and Art until the end of my days (and I'm probably the only one that does haha). Partners are my weakness. So I figured, if anything, writing about them was a great way to fill the prompt "Salvation."

That being said, I hope to finish up my week eleven entry _Dungeon Crawl_ to post next week...once I finish my next paper for my class (We're at the week five point, and the fact that we're already halfway done is rather...scary). It was a piece I really like but has given me some creative challenges, so I look forward to finishing it.

In any event, if you have the time, go and check out the Twelve Shots of Summer (for one shots) and Shibuya Operation - Story Storm (for longer works) forums. There's some great writers there, and their work should more than satisfy you.

Ah, I should probably go back and finish up _Re: Hamatora_...

[POST] 030915


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